Corner Searchers

We are often retained by Realtors® to find and flag the corners of properties that are listed for sale or that are already in escrow, or a property owner will order the service.

All About Corner Searches

We are often retained by Realtors® to find and flag the corners of properties that are listed for sale or that are already in escrow, or a property owner will order the service.

This work involves a field review by one or two qualified survey technicians to search for and flag the apparent corner markers or monuments for the property in question. Most properties have been surveyed at some time in the past and durable monuments were set at the corners. These markers are typically lengths of water pipe or reinforcing bar that have been driven into the ground at the corner location. They usually bear the surveyor’s license number on a metal tag or plastic cap.

During a corner search, our technicians review the recorded map(s) showing previous surveys. We search for the markers using a surveyors’ metal detector. We typically look for markers by using rough compass bearings and by pacing approximate distances, or sometimes with GPS if tree cover allows. We review found markers to see if they generally match the monument legend of recorded maps. We tie yellow and blue flagging on a wooden guard stake to help our clients find the corner monuments after our field visit.

Probably as important in understanding what we DO during a corner search is understanding what we DO NOT do. We can’t guarantee that we can find each marker, because they have sometimes been removed since the original survey. We do not make precise measurements between monuments to verify that they are in the locations reported by the previous survey. We do not do a resurvey of the property to verify the relative locations of the markers nor do we check for improvements that might be located near or across the property lines. Any line flagging placed during our search is very approximate and cannot be relied upon as accurate boundary information.

We can provide any of the above services not routinely included in a corner search, including replacing missing corner monuments, at additional cost, as needed. We always work with our clients to assist them in selecting the right level of surveying services to meet their particular needs. Call Ken Baker or Andy Cassano in our office for additional information.

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